“Tourism in International Relation”
Lecturer: Drs. Usmar Salam MIS
Artha Yudilla
international relation
07/251235/SP/22031
absent:103
Tourism can be seen as an economic activity that produces a range of positive and negative impacts but sustainable tourism seeks to achieve the best balance between economic benefits and social and environmental costs. In order to plan and develop tourism successfully, economic, environmental and social aspects of tourism must be well understood. A great contribution to the promotion of the sustainable tourism in Europe, as well as on the global level is coming from the Coastal Union’s (EUCC) project - CoastLearn, a distance-training programme for accession countries, the New Independent States (NIS) and the Mediterranean, funded by the EU. The overall aim of the programme is to promote integrated planning and management of coastal resources and consequently sustainable development along the coast (Perez 2006). According to the CoastLearn programme, sustainable tourism is an industry that involves social responsibility, a strong commitment to nature and the integration of local people in any tourist operation or development. It is interesting to see how the WTO, the Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Earth Council define sustainable tourism:
“Sustainable Tourism Development meets the needs of present tourists, host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. Sustainable tourism products are products which are operated in harmony with the local environment, community and cultures so that these become the beneficiaries and not the victims of tourism development.”
According to this definition, sustainable tourism has three interrelated aspects: environmental, socio-cultural, and economic. Since sustainability implies permanence, sustainable tourism should include optimum use of resources, minimization of ecological, cultural and social impacts, and maximization of benefits for conservation and local communities
Sustainable Tourism In Croatia
The whole Croatian territory is characterized by diverse and preserved natural and cultural tourist potential. That is a valuable heritage, which has to be preserved and protected in order to contribute to the development of tourism in the long term. By realizing that, Croatian government has been trying for the last few years to create conditions for sustainable tourism. At the national level, the Ministry of Tourism is in close cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, which is responsible in preparing laws regarding environmental protection. “Besides, the concept of sustainable tourism is implemented in development documents and physical plans”. In 2001, Croatia has published strategic document “Development Guidelines of the Republic of Croatia- Croatia in 21st Century”, which is mainly compatible with the sustainable development. The document is divided in 19 thematic fields and one of it is a strategy on Tourism Development, which includes sustainable development in tourism. Eco-tourism and nature-based tourism is an integral part of the National Strategy on Sustainable Tourism.
In this new strategic document the Strategy on Sustainable Tourism was written as a separate part, since government realized how several important factors were not adequately analyzed while tourism was treated as integrated part of the economic development. A vision for creation this Strategy was that “in the next 15 to 20 years Croatia will become, in terms of the quality and range of its overall tourism product, one of the most desirable and most successful tourism destinations in Europe. In order to achieve this vision of the Croatian tourism a global concept of the sustainable development of the country should be in place”
Major programmes of the Strategy in effect to uphold sustainable tourism are:
• The programme for stimulating the development of rural tourism
• The programme for the development of Croatian islands and coastal areas
• The programme of developing strategic marketing plans for the counties
Furthermore, change of consumer patterns in tourism industry toward eco-tourism and sustainable tourism is highlighted in the Strategy. Various programmes for promoting eco-tourism are carried out by County Tourist Associations and various NGOs.
Case Study: Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik, often called as “Pearl of the Adriatic”, is one of the most famous tourist resorts, a seaport and the centre of the southern Croatian coast. It ranks among the sunniest towns of southern Europe with amazing 12.4 hours of sunshine a day in July. It is also the centre of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, with a surface area of 143.35 km2 and 43,770 inhabitants. Economic profile of the county is defined with its geographical location, length and quality of the indented coast and with the rich cultural and historical heritage of outstanding beauty. Likewise, the sea and the agricultural lands are defined as the main production resources.
The City of Dubrovnik is the municipal government whose authority covers all local issues, through which civic needs are directly met, and which are not assigned to the State Authorities by either the Constitution or by legislation. These issues involve community and housing improvements, physical and urban planning, municipal infrastructure activities, child care, social welfare, basic education, economic development, culture, physical education and sports, protection and improvement of the natural environment, fire-fighting and civil protection Dubrovnik is the city of an outstanding cultural and artistic life, which makes it an interesting tourist destination. The most important cultural event in the city is the Dubrovnik Summer Festival (10th of July - 25th of August), traditionally held since 1950.
Sustainable Tourism In Turkey
Turkey has been experiencing a surge in tourism activity, and is predicted to be the leading tourism destination in the Mediterranean together with Greece and Croatia by 2020. Tourism is concentrated along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts - the southwestern Anatolian coast of Turkey - an area identified by WWF as one of the most important for nature in the Mediterranean, and is also the most impacted by mass tourism development which could lead to the irreversible loss of its biodiversity by 2020. To avoid the destruction of its fragile coastline, the Government of Turkey adopted the Integrated Coastal Management approach aimed not only at nature conservation but also at preserving social and cultural integrity.
Since the tourism sector in Turkey was relatively new, there has been the opportunity to preserve natural, cultural, historical and archaeological assets of the country. Most of the prime tourism regions remain unspoiled, in spite of the rapid growth in arrivals. Contrary to some other countries, which suffered from saturation, improper development, a seriously damaged environment and many valuable natural assets as well as existing human settlements, Turkish tourism was prepared to develop in sustainable way. In order to develop sustainable tourism, the Ministry of Tourism determined certain principles, such as suitable use of natural and cultural resources, continuous restoration and maintenance of the natural and cultural resources and protection of the tourists and hosts against adverse environmental effects
One of the first attempts to promote sustainable tourism was already in 1989, when the Ministry of Tourism launched the ATAK project (Southwest Coast Environmental Project). The aim was to provide environmental protection along Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines and to determine the deficiencies in infrastructure system. The main objectives of the project covered a wide range of issues such as planning, designing and construction of water supply and sewerage systems; wastewater treatment and disposal facilities; solid waste disposal facilities; and pollution control studies. In general, Turkish tourism policies are aiming to extend the economic benefits from tourism to the people, while ensuring that policies in the same time environmentally sound and sustainable. Some of the tasks that The Ministry of Tourism are trying to carry out are elaboration and approval of land use plans in tourism areas and centres, the promotion of the country abroad and the follow-up the intervention of governmental bodies, local administrations, professional associations; and unions and non-governmental organizations (Ministry of Culture and Tourism). Turkey has gradually put in action a body of legislation concerning tourism in order to regulate the establishment and operation of tourism operators, promote tourism development, protect and preserve certain vulnerable areas, and provide financing for certain projects requiring heavy investment.
Case Study: Alanya
Alanya is a city in the district of Antalya and is 135 km east of Antalya, situated in the eastern coast of Alanya Bay of the Anatolian Peninsula. On the road of the Mediterranean Sea, Alanya is one of the most important settled cities with its economic cultivation, agriculture, hand skills and other functional specialties. The extension of the plateau and mountainous parts of the north side of Taurus Mountain are counted 1000 meters above the sea level. The peninsula of Alanya covers a surrounding of 6500 meters extended to the south and it is apart from the Taurus Mountains. Alanya has grown from strength to strength and became one of the most popular travel destinations in Turkey. During the tourist season from the beginning of April to the end of October, tourism is the main source of income for the locals. The season also provides seasonal jobs for many people during the summer. Many people come to work in Alanya during the summer. The other important income resource of the locals is agriculture.
Between 1985 and 2000, the population of Alanya has grown by 350 %. According to the 2000 census results, Alanya has 384 949 citizens of which 134 396 (34%) is living in the city and 250 553 (65%) is living in the villages. There are 10 000 foreigner residents, from who 6 500 are Germans. Alanya has 15 municipalities and 69 villages. The number of residents in some of the villages is less than 1000 and there is a very big out-migration from these villages to the city of Alanya. In summers, the population increases up to 400 000 in the city (Alanya Chamber of Commerce).
Comparison between Alanya and Dubrovnik
• Both Alanya and Dubrovnik are seen as one of the most beautiful places in their countries. Dubrovnik is often called as a “Pearl of Adriatic”, while Alanya is known as a “Pearl of Turkish Riviera”.
• Alanya is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey, as well as Dubrovnik in Croatia. Dubrovnik is popular mostly due to its exceptional beauty, as well as historical and cultural heritage, which was recognized by UNESCO in 1979 and the Old Town has been put on the World Heritage list. In the case of Alanya, the beautiful beaches, clean sea and relatively low prices are the reasons that are attracting tourists.
• Alanya represents one of the most important agricultural centres in Turkey with its vegetable and fruit production, and together with tourism, agriculture is Alanya’s largest resource of income. In Dubrovnik, tourism is a main economic activity and driver for its economic development, which was proven in the recent past, when together with the stop of the tourism activities during the war, an economic development of the whole Dubrovnik-Neretva County was stopped as well.
• Alanya is characterized with the mass tourism, while in Dubrovnik the most dominant type of tourism is cultural tourism. These different types of tourism have different impacts, and consequently, contribute differently to the sustainable development of the local community. However, Alanya also has a potential to develop the cultural tourism, in view of the fact that it is currently on the UNESCO’s world heritage tentative list. In Dubrovnik, besides the cultural tourism there are beautiful beaches, preserved nature and mild climate, which are making it potential destination for the 3S tourism. In other words, both Alanya and Dubrovnik have potential to develop other types of tourism.
• Alanya is a summer destination, which has active season only for several months, whereas Dubrovnik is a whole year destination, which provides not only seasonal jobs as Alanya, but also a significant number of employees in the tourism industry during the whole year.
• Both communities have recognized the importance of quality infrastructure, and therefore invested in the improvement of the existing and construction of the new infrastructure.
• In Alanya, most of the environmental impacts are negative, while in Dubrovnik besides negative impacts there is a significant number of positive impacts too, which are contributing to the environmental protection and conservation.
• Dubrovnik is more active than Alanya concerning environmental issues. In Dubrovnik, tourism is used to increase environmental awareness of the local population, and moreover, the city has recognized financial values of cultural sites, which are used for the protection and preservation of the heritage.
• While Dubrovnik is putting a lot of effort to preserve its culture and heritage, Alanya’s main aim is to attract more tourists. As a result, environmental impacts of tourism in Alanya are mostly negative.
Conclusion
The Mediterranean is the world’s number one tourist destination and the biggest tourism region in the world, which has been visited by 260 million tourists in 1990 and what is more, it is expected that this number will increase to 655 million by the year 2025. In the last 10 years Croatia and Turkey became two of the most popular Mediterranean destinations, and joined the trend of a growing number of European cities that are promoting the development of tourism in order to overcome the post-industrial crisis, or as in the case of Croatia, the post-war crisis. Consequently, today both countries see tourism as their economic future. However, to achieve continuous and sustainable development of tourism, three interrelated aspects should be taken into consideration: economic, social, and environmental. The main question that we tried to answer is in what ways tourism is contributing to the sustainable development of the local community. Both communities have experienced rapid development of the tourism sector in the last 10 years, which still seems to rise continuously.
As a result, various impacts have occurred. Some of them are positive and there is an obvious contribution to sustainable development, while some of the impacts have negative influence on sustainability. Alanya is characterized by the 3S or mass tourism, while Dubrovnik is a world heritage city, which is offering cultural tourism. Notably, mass tourism in Alanya and cultural tourism in Dubrovnik have different impacts on a place. Although Alanya has the opportunity to diversify their tourism, mass tourism is still the main tourism activity. Since mass tourism generally involves a large number of people visiting a small area, it can change an area dramatically.
What is interesting about Dubrovnik is that its tourism has suffered a series of devastating events throughout history, such as a major earthquake in 1979 and war between 1991 and 1995, which has left the local tourist economy in tatters. However, cultural tourism in Dubrovnik has been proven as a more sustainable type of tourism than the mass tourism in Alanya, which can be mostly seen through the environmental impacts. In Dubrovnik, tourism is used to increase environmental awareness of the local population, and moreover, the city has recognized the financial values of cultural sites, which are used for the protection and preservation of the heritage.While Dubrovnik is putting a lot of effort to preserve its culture and heritage, Alanya’s main aim is to attract more tourists. For that reason, Alanya is much more sensitive than Dubrovnik concerning the possible threats to become an overdeveloped and overcrowded destination. The rich cultural and historical heritage make Dubrovnik a special and unique tourist destination, and therefore it is facing less risk than Alanya that it will be replaced by the other destinations in the near future.
What is important for both communities is to be aware that positive consequences of tourism can arise only if, and when tourism is carried out and developed in a sustainable way. In order to achieve positive correlation between tourism and the local community, an involvement of the local population is essential. In Dubrovnik, the local population has been already involved in the implementation of the tourism, but the potential is still not completely used and there is much more to be done. On the other hand, the priority for Alanya perhaps should be a development of the alternative types of tourism with the special focus on the cultural tourism, which would enable Alanya to become a year-round tourist destination and provide more jobs for the local population, as well as greater income for the community. Moreover, earned money could be used for the protection of the environment and cultural heritage, and involvement of the local population in the planning process would arguably lead to more sustainable tourism.
References:
Kerimoglu, Ebru and Ciraci, Hale. 2005. The analysis of relation between socio-cultural-economic and tourism development levels of the provinces in Turkey. 45th Congress of the European Regional Science Association. Amsterdam.
Radinic, A. 2001. Tourism and Croatian Development, Summary. Zagreb.
Tugas Paper Kelompok Turki, Pariwisata Di Turki: Telaah Perwujudan Aspek-Aspek Sustainable Tourism Development, 2009.
Bahan Kuliah Pariwisata dalam Hubungan Internasional mengenai Sustainable Tourism Development oleh Bapak Drs. Usmar Salam MIS
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